Mary Lynn

Dec. 16 1897

Dear Diary,

This morning I struggled getting out of bed my body sore from yesterday beating I receive for helping a little girl no older than six. She was having trouble reaching the yarn, I made sure to look around before handing it to her. Than all of a sudden I felt a hand grab me by my neck forcing me out of the room into the factory aisles. Before a head worker began beating me for almost an hour then forcefully grabbed my limp body off the ground before making me go back to work. I had to work for two extra hours with no pay for another punishment, to add up the total hours I have work today is twenty hours nonstop with no break for only barely five cents. Long hours like those can be very tiring but we all know better than to slow down our pace. Few hours later after the beating I had found out there was accident. A little kid being killed by one of the medicines. Turns out it was the little girl. She should have not been working that young! No matter how poor her parents were, but sadly this is the real world we have to start young to help support our families. I’m one of the few who have been to school before being force to stop going. School was the one thing that made it worth getting up in the morning brought light into this dark cold place we call home. I haven’t even been outside during the day in so long, stuck in this dark dirty old work place for the rest of my life.

Always,
Mary Lynn

NOTE THIS BOOK IS UNEDITED.